Katherine Daniels Cosmetics: Skincare Has Never Been So Simple

I know I harp on a lot about my dry skin flare-ups on here, but it is one of my biggest beauty woes and I feel as though I'm forever on a quest to find 'holy grail' skincare products for it! I first came across Katherine Daniels Cosmetics at the Professional Beauty Show in London (to which I went with the incredible Gweni from gbeauty.co.uk) and, whilst they offer salon treatments, it was their range of skincare products which intrigued me. The British skincare experts have used their knowledge from these treatments to create products which have specific skincare woes in mind; their step-by-step product guides for each skin concern breaks everything down into easy, digestible chunks to really help you look after your skin well at home. Now there's no excuse not to look after your skin properly!

Using four main steps (along with colour coding...although this concept does give me flash-backs to exam revision), Katherine Daniels not only creates products for specific skincare concerns, but provides guidance on how to use them. A lot of people get confused as to when to use certain products and in which order you should apply them in, so having everything broken down in this way makes skincare seem far simpler and allows you to get the most out of the products you are using. The main four are:

- Skin Essentials (blue): cleansing products and preparation, allowing your other products to work the best they can

- Skin Boost (pink): eye creams and concentrates for dry skin which just give your skin that extra little pep

- Skin Defence (green): these are you moisturisers, including day creams and richer formulas for overnight treatments.

- Skin Treat (yellow): here you find your face masks, a concentrated bunch of ingredients designed to be used once or twice a week alongside your usual skincare routine.

I really like this format as not only does it simplify the process, but it highlights the importance of each step in your skincare routine and shows that you shouldn't be skipping any part of these four! Breaking it down like this also helps to establish a good routine in the first place; having this secured is the first step to better skin. Katherine Daniels also provides products for a range of skincare concerns, such as anti-ageing, sensitive skin or dryness. I've been trying out the trial kit for dry skin to really put it to the test. Within this set is the 'Essential Cleansing Milk', 'Essential Toning Lotion' and the 'Dry Skin Cream'. I absolutely love the moisturising cream; it's quite a rich formula, but it absorbs into the skin relatively quickly to leave it feeling really nourished. The subtle scent is gorgeous, light and refreshing, and you need the tiniest amount to cover your face. Be careful with how much you use, especially if you're using this as a day cream, as if you apply too much, your skin can feel quite greasy very quickly. Applying just the right amount doesn't leave you without that feeling, but you can still apply make-up over (with a good primer) without looking very oily. I think that because of this, this cream is best used as a night cream to inject some hydration overnight; I have been using a different cream in the morning.

The toner is a dream to use; it's something that I always forget to incorporate into my skincare routine, but applying some of this to a cotton pad and quickly massaging it over my face definitely does help to get rid of any cleanser residue before I apply the night cream. Whilst the cleansing milk does work effectively to remove all of my make-up and more at the end of the day, I couldn't get used to the formula. It's OK when initially poured out, but then turns very thin and runny when you start working it into your skin. I don't think this is anything wrong with the product at all (it still works very well and feels nourishing without overloading your skin), but I'm definitely more of a balm girl- I just much prefer the texture of a good ol' cleansing balm! Overall, after using these products for about 6 weeks (although not the cleansing milk as my balms were looking at me, wondering why I betrayed them) I definitely noticed a difference in my skin. As a starter pack this is fine and provides everything necessary, but I still found I needed to use a serum and face oil alongside to give my skin a boost. The cream is great as an overnight moisturiser and the toner is fully incorporated into my skincare routine now. Kudos to Katherine Daniels for simplifying skincare!